On Tue, Nov 10, 2009 at 9:02 PM, Technomage
<technomage.hawke@gmail.com> wrote:
Lisa,
My response was originally to Ryan regarding his initial response per my
posting.
However, I can take your word for it that the FOIA response since sept
2001 has been less than stellar.
Still, on an issue that affects even "free and open software" for
governments to take something thats supposed to
be publically debated and accessible and make it "a metter of national
security" makes me wonder what they
are really up to.
Clearly, the current administration is showing an aptitude for these
kinds of secrecy games not seen since the
height of the cold war. There is something very wrong in the halls of
power and it directly affects us all
in one form or another.
....but it is a matter of layers of required security. Since you can't understand it, (just like with technical troubleshooting) obviously you either have an incorrect premise, or less than sufficient information about the threats.
In psychology, black and white (good bad) and ideological defenses (putting things not understood into political categories), are things people do when they are being defensive or failing to understand all the issues.
Do you seriously think that so many people, including Obama, Clinton, all the presidents since Roosevelt, who, once briefed on current information, would so radically change their stance, if it was not completely necessary?
Have you ever been a hostage, terror, or violent situation? Have you ever been attacked aggressively? Have you ever been under siege while working as an IT professional, from packet traffic originating elsewhere in the world? Have you had the opportunity to interact with German hackers and understand their mentality toward the USA?
Well, I have, and I have to consider that the threat warrants a change in mentality (like the cold war - which never ended only continued in many ways).
Do you realize that your name was entered in databases related to "possible sedition" since the 1980s related to the six degrees of separation from the people you interact with in the patriot movement in the USA? Do you realize that the Chinese have sent lead laced toys to the USA on more than one ocassion that was not immediately caught? Do you realize that since 1985, you could buy pirated Micro$soft software from Tiwan that included bios virus?
Clearly the cold war is upon us.
I advocate regulation of information use, not "freedom" because, just like anarchy, it does not work as either an economic system or a political one.
Lisa Kachold wrote:
> Right, I believe I got the typical response sometime after 2001. I have the
> form letter, if you would like to have me scan it in.
>
> After many years working in IT for the U.S. Army, Veterans Administration,
> U.S.Bank/KeyBank, Telecoms, Nike, ISP's and many ECommerce firms and
> start-ups, I don't disagree with the process of keeping information private,
> just the vague wording of the letter, but that subject is not exactly
> on-topic.
>
> A long political discussion need not begin:
>
> #end
>
>